The Virginia Department of Transportation (VDOT) has received an additional $33.9 million in federal transportation spending authority reallocated to Virginia from other states.

VDOT and the Virginia Department of Rail and Public Transportation (DRPT) will allocate this additional spending to fund $8.2 million in congestion-management projects in the Fredericksburg and Northern Virginia areas, $11.2 million in transit projects statewide and $14.4 million for bridge projects around the commonwealth.

Each September, the Federal Highway Administration (FHWA) reviews all states’ ability to spend allocated federal highway dollars as the federal fiscal year draws to a close.

States that have not obligated their federal dollars must return that spending authority to FHWA. That authority is then redistributed to states that have obligated all of their federal allocations and have additional eligible projects ready to move forward.

“Strong financial management has allowed Virginia to attract additional federal funding again this year,” said VDOT Commissioner David S. Ekern. “This money will help us to advance important congestion-management and bridge projects. Investing this additional federal money in these projects now frees up other money that we will use to fund other needed transportation projects in the coming years.”

The additional Fiscal Year 2007 obligation authority will allow the Commonwealth Transportation Board (CTB) to transfer state and federal money programmed to these projects in future years to other projects.

This freed-up funding will be allocated during the 2009-2014 update of the Six-Year Improvement Program.

DRPT Director Matthew Tucker said, “This funding will allow existing transit projects to advance more quickly and provide additional funds for potential new transit projects in Fiscal Year 2009.”

VDOT successfully obligated more than $737 million in federal funding granted to the commonwealth for federal Fiscal Year 2007.

The agency submitted a request for more than $110 million in additional obligation authority to FHWA.

FHWA redistributed more than $1.2 billion to states in late September. Virginia was among the top 13 states receiving redistributions this year.

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